


First Officer

by Northern_Lady



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Past Child Abuse, Romance, Torture, a little smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:33:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25299181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Northern_Lady/pseuds/Northern_Lady
Summary: A series of scenes that take place offscreen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. These scenes tell the story of Nebula’s romance with her partner from the comic books, Geatar. One shot.
Relationships: Nebula/Geatar
Kudos: 3





	First Officer

Nebula awoke in the darkness of the infirmary on Sanctuary II. Her leg was gone, replaced with a machine all the way up to her hip, and she was alone. There was pain where her leg had been. She’d expected there would be pain. This was a punishment after all. A punishment for her failure to beat Gamora in combat. Thanos had called it a gift. He had said he was making her better. 

She sat up onto her elbows and reached down to feel the new leg, cold and metallic and very much a machine. How was this better? How was this better than the perfectly good sixteen year old leg she’d already had? One of Thanos’ guards had recently tried to flirt with her, told her she had nice legs. That would never be true again. They would probably cover the metal and make it more lifelike before she left medbay but it still wasn’t real. The leg wasn’t really hers. 

She supposed it shouldn’t matter. Men as a whole were dangerous. It was probably better to escape their notice rather than gather attention with good looks. She would leave that to Gamora. At least if she were an ugly machine she would be safe from unwanted attention. Nebula lay back down and told herself that it may not have been what Thanos intended but at least now men would stay away. Except, what about the times that she didn’t want them to stay away? What about the cute young Xandarian who worked in the kitchens? He would probably never talk to her again now. Would she even have the chance to be kissed? 

It was stupid to worry about what men would think. It was stupid to worry about being kissed.Thanos had taken from her something that did not belong to him. He had no right to take her leg. Her body was her own. He didn’t get to just take pieces of her and upgrade her because he wanted to. She had already hated him from taking her from her home and now she could hardly see past the rage that his name stirred up within her. If only she could kill him. She would do anything to be able to kill him. For now though, she was alone. 

It was stupid to cry too but she did cry. 

***

The small ship was better than Nebula had expected. She had come on board and looked over the bridge with a bit of surprise. It had four seats and a control console on the bridge and a small bunk room below. The fact that Thanos had named her Captain and given her this ship and a crew of three made her uneasy. It was a test of her skills as an assassin and she was determined not to fail the test. She had only just healed from her new eye and cybernetic brain implants. Thanos would want a return on his investment. He would want proof that his punishment for her failures was truly making her better. 

Her crew consisted of Levan, Skunge, and Geatar. She had met them in passing before and though she would have recognized them if she met them elsewhere, she didn’t know them. 

It took a few weeks to really know them. Levan resented taking orders from a seventeen year old girl, and worse than that, a girl who was Thanos’ least favorite daughter. The blue balding man did let her know of his disapproval from time to time and Nebula simply reminded him to shut up because even Thanos’ least favorite daughter was still his daughter. 

Skunge, a Laxadazian Troll, was usually helpful when it came to killing people. He seemed to enjoy it. Nebula didn’t complain about that. Anything that kept her from failing her mission was something she would make use of. 

Geatar was the one member of her crew who seemed as if he were truly trying to be helpful. He was a six foot eight muscular twenty year old who seemed to be able to change his skin color at will. Some days he was orange and other days he was green, on occasion he was blue. He didn’t say much, and he wasn’t particularly bright, but he did what she told him to do without question. It didn’t hurt, for the sake of the mission, that Geatar was extremely strong either. Not as powerful as Thanos but very powerful compared to anyone else. 

Those weeks on board the ship, carrying out assassinations and other missions that Thanos ordered, were the only days of peace she had known since Thanos had taken her from her home on Luphom. Gamora was not there to gloat her victories and Thanos was not looming over her shoulder with his threats. She had a semblance of peace on her ship. 

***

The mission was over and as Nebula exited the ship Gamora was there waiting for her. 

“Father says we have combat training today,” Gamora said, glad to give this news. “Meet me in the sparring bay in one hour,” Gamora turned on her heel and walked away. 

Nebula waited until Gamora rounded the corner before she let out the breath she was holding. She didn’t want to fight Gamora again. She couldn’t beat her and when she lost Thanos would take something else. He had already ruined her leg and her face. What would be next? 

“You don’t want to fight your sister, Captain?” Geatar’s voice spoke up behind her. She startled a little. She hadn’t been aware he was still standing there. 

“Not particularly,” Nebula admitted. “But I have to win, so I will win.” 

Geatar looked as if this information made him sad. “May I witness the fight?” 

“Sure. Why not?” she agreed with a shrug. 

Her First Mate followed her to her rooms and stood outside her door while she changed for the fight and then he followed her to the sparring bay. 

The fight was a blur. Nebula used all her energy and all her rage and still she could not beat Gamora. When it was over, and Nebula lay beaten and broken on the floor,Thanos himself stepped out of the shadows. 

“You have won Gamora, as you deserve,” Thanos said, pleased with her. “You may go.” 

Gamora left with a hint of a smile on her face. Thanos approached Nebula and pulled her to her feet with his massive hands. She could hardly stand without support. 

“Nebula, you are weak. I will give you another gift to make you stronger,” Thanos said, and with hardly any effort on his part, he tore her arm from her body. 

Nebula screamed and she collapsed to the floor. Thanos stood watching over her a moment, looking disappointed, then he tossed her arm down onto the floor next to her. She continued to scream both from pain and from rage. 

“You will be given your new arm in a week. I haven’t had it made yet. I had hoped I wouldn’t need to.” Thanos shook his head. “I trust you’re not too weak to get yourself to the medical bay.” Thanos turned and walked away. 

Nebula truly was too weak and in too much pain to get herself to the medical bay. Her arm was bleeding out very quickly though so she knew she had to try. Then Geatar approached. She had forgotten he was even there. He knelt down next to her and picked her up and carried her to the medical wing. She drifted out of consciousness before she got there. 

***

Nebula awoke in the darkness of the infirmary on Sanctuary II. Her arm was gone, to be replaced with a machine, and she was alone. There was pain where her arm had been. She’d expected there would be pain. This was a punishment after all. A punishment for her failure to beat Gamora in combat. Thanos had called it a gift. He had said he was making her better. 

She sat up onto her elbow and reached over to feel where her arm had been. There were only bandages there. She started to cry. Thanos was right. She was weak. Crying only proved that but she cried all the same. Something moved in the darkness and Nebula sucked in a breath to end her tears. 

“You’re awake, Captain?” It was Geatar’s voice in the darkness. He came out of the shadows and pulled a chair up next to her bed. 

“You stayed with me this whole time?” The notion took her entirely off guard. 

“I had to stay and make sure you were alright.” He said, and she could hear the worry in his tone. 

Nebula didn’t know why those words set off more tears but they did and this time no matter what she did, she could not make them stop. “You can go, Geatar. You shouldn’t have to see me like this.” 

“No,” he said gently and sadly. “I’m not going. I’m not leaving you like this.” 

He had never disobeyed her before now. She didn’t understand why he was being like this and still she could not stop sobbing. She curled up on her side, the side of her good arm and tried to make herself stop. She heard the creak of Geatar’s chair as he stood and for a moment worried that he would obey her and leave after all.

Instead of leaving, he reached down and picked her up into his arms, and he sat down on the bed and placed her in his lap. He sat there on that bed and he held her while she wept. Nebula was aware that she was a sobbing wretched mess and that she needed to get hold of herself but she just couldn’t. So she clung to Geatar because he was there and he offered her the only comfort she had known in years. 

“He will never hurt you like that again,” Geatar told her as her tears were nearly spent. “I vow that I will not allow you to be harmed like that again, by Thanos or by anyone.” 

“Geatar, you can’t…” Nebula told him worriedly. “Thanos can’t be defeated.” 

“I don’t need to defeat him. I only need to slow him down long enough for you to get away. I will not stand by and watch him take a part of you again. Never.” 

Nebula could hardly believe what she was hearing. “Why would you do that for me? Why would you even want to help someone so weak?” 

“There are other kinds of strength besides just strength,” Geatar said. “When I was a child my father used to beat me because my brother was smarter. I will never be as smart as my brother. I will never be smart at all but that doesn’t make my brother better than me and it did not make it right for my father to beat me for it. You Nebula, when our ship breaks, you fix it yourself. When the computer doesn’t do what you want it to do, you write a whole new program. You have a different kind of strength than Gamora and Thanos is wrong not to see it.” 

Nebula sniffled as a result of his words and she found herself cuddling a little closer to him. No one had hugged her in years, no one had truly been kind to her in years, and it meant everything to her that he would hold her like this now. Geatar pulled her a little closer 

“I meant what I said,” he told her. “I will not stand by and let anyone harm you. I can’t because...because I love you.” 

Nebula let out a breath. Some instinct within her tried to tell her that it wasn’t real. That no one could love her. That she would be stupid to believe it. She pushed that instinct aside because she wanted to believe it. She needed to believe it or else there really wasn’t much point in living anymore. “Geatar…” she whispered his name. “I don’t want to sleep here in the medbay tonight. Take me back to my room. Stay with me?” 

***

Geatar carried Nebula back to her room. She was still in a great deal of pain and he sat down on her bed while still holding her. She momentarily worried that he would misunderstand her request for him to stay. Or that maybe he would ask more of her than she could handle. She had never actually spent a night with a man before. She supposed it was past time that she did. Nebula was seventeen years old. She had kept men distant because of her implants and cybernetic parts, not that there had been a lot of interest. She simply hadn’t been comfortable enough with herself to allow that sort of closeness with anyone. Nebula hated putting on shoes and seeing her foot and she avoided mirrors altogether. And now she sat curled up on Geatar’s lap, closer than she had ever been to any man, and though she wanted more than anything to stay near him, she worried how far he might take it. 

Nebula was trembling as she sat there, maybe from cold and blood loss, maybe from the intensity of being so close, and maybe a little out of worry. 

“Are you cold?” Geatar asked her as he slid the both of them back on her bed so that his back rested against the wall. 

“A little,” she admitted. 

Geatar reached for a blanket folded up at the end of her bed and covered Nebula with it. It was warmer with the blanket but she was still unable to stop shaking. 

“Are you afraid?” Geatar asked her. 

Nebula couldn’t answer that. Her feelings were so torn at that moment. She was in fact still reeling from fear over what Thanos had done to her. There was rage too at what he had stolen from her, rage at Gamora for always winning no matter what it cost Nebula to lose. And she needed to believe that for a moment, for just this one moment, she was safe, but it had been years since she trusted anyone. So she didn’t answer, she just let a few more tears fall against his chest from her one unaltered eye. 

“You are afraid that I will take advantage of you because you are injured?” He asked, surprisingly perceptive despite his reputation for being dull. “But you don’t want to be alone.” 

Nebula nodded, still unable to speak due to all the emotion choking her up. 

He rested his large hand against her cheek. “I will never do anything to you that you don’t give me permission to do. If you asked me to stay and share your bed, I am more than willing. If you wish me to stay and sit in a chair in the corner or sleep on the floor, I would do that as well. Tell me to leave and I will leave. I am yours to command.” 

“Then...just sit here like we are,” Nebula told him. “And you could kiss me,” she added. 

Geatar bent just enough to brush his lips against hers. Nebula reached up and kissed him more firmly. She had often wondered what a kiss would be like. She hadn’t expected it would be like this. She hadn’t expected to feel herself melting under his touch, to experience fluttering in her stomach and desire sparking within her. 

That night, after Geatar had kissed her for a while, Nebula fell asleep in his arms and as she drifted off she did so with the realization that this was what it felt like to be loved. 

***

By the time Nebula woke in the morning her injuries were very nearly healed. Luphomoids healed fairly quickly. She awoke curled up against Geatar and he still sat holding her, his back to the wall, asleep. It was the first time since she had been taken from her home that she woke without a gasp of fear. She reached up with her hand and brushed her fingers over his neck and then over the stubble on his jawline. Geatar awoke at her movement and he remained still beneath her touch. She felt his breathing deepen and she felt him harden beneath her.,

Nebula may not have spent the night with a man before but she was not at all naive about what was happening. She had seen other couples make love before, couples who had not bothered with privacy. Not everyone aboard Sanctuary II even had a room of their own. Some had to sleep wherever they could find and fill their needs wherever they could find space. She had seen and heard plenty of tales about what would happen between a man and a woman. And she knew how to pleasure herself. 

Nebula continued to slide her hand over Geotar’s bare skin, over his shoulder, down his sleeveless arm, then she untucked his shirt and ran her hand over his muscular abs. He never moved but he definitely reacted. His eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and deep. Nebula took his hand in hers and placed it on her breast. His eyes opened and he looked at her with questions in his eyes. 

“I want you to touch me,” she told him, realizing he was waiting for her permission. 

He let out a breath but he didn’t move. “Where?” 

“Anywhere you want,” she whispered. 

He pressed his hand against her breast a little more firmly but still he did not move. Nebula could see him swallow, hesitant for some reason. 

“Why do you hesitate?” she asked him, hurt and worried and even a little angry. “I won’t keep you here if you don’t want to be here. You can go.” 

“I do want to be here. I just wanted to be sure that you meant it,” he told her, sliding his hand down to rest on her hip. 

“Of course I meant it. Do you think I would play with you and use you like that?” 

“It has happened before. Twice before now beautiful women have sought out my protection and promised themselves as a reward. I gave them that protection and suffered great injury to save their lives. And in the end they did not give me the reward they promised. They laughed at me and said they would never want such a stupid brute.” He said sadly. “I would have helped them for just money had they asked it. I might have even helped them for no reward at all if they had asked it. There was no need for such cruel games.” 

Nebula fell silent a moment. “How did a man so kind and good as you end up in the service of Thanos?” He was strong enough that he could have taken what he wanted from any of those women. He had once caught a two ton bulkhead in his hands just to save her. He could as easily take what he wanted from her too but he waited for her to desire him in return. 

“Thanos killed my father, the father who beat me and humiliated me and so I agreed to serve him. But as soon as I was assigned to your ship, it was you who I wanted to serve. I don’t expect a reward for my service. I am happy to serve you and love you from a distance. Just don’t play games with me by offering things that you don’t intend to give.” 

“Geatar…” Nebula whispered his name and moved her hand to rest on his jaw. “It’s not a game. I do want you. I want you to kiss me and to touch me and I want you inside me. I don’t think I’ve wanted anything this much in all my life.” 

He did not hesitate any longer. He kissed her and he ran his hands over her body. He helped her with her clothes and removed his own. Soon he was on top of her and inside her, his kisses against her neck. He moved slowly within her and Nebula made noises of pleasure at every movement. Nothing, nothing in all her life had felt this good. There had been nothing but loneliness and anger and pain and fear for years and years on end. And now this amazing man brought her comfort with his body and she was able to think of only how good it felt to be with him. Geatar’s thrusts became faster and more frenzied and she lifted her hips to meet them. He grunted his release just moments before her own climax washed over her. He collapsed against her, nearly crushing her with his weight and she turned a little and gently pushed him off so that he rested only half on top of her. He wrapped an arm and a leg over her and pulled her firmly against himself as if he were afraid she might leave. 

Nebula turned her head just slightly and kissed him. She still hadn’t caught her breath. She was as covered in sweat as he was. He kissed her a second time. 

“I didn’t know it would be like this,” Nebula whispered. “The first time….” 

“Neither did I,” he said. 

“I was you first?” she asked. 

He nodded. “I told you, other women said I was too stupid to bother with.” 

“Well they were wrong. But I’m glad they were wrong because it means I got to have you instead.” she told him. 

“You do,” he agreed. “You do have me. But do I have you?” 

She didn’t really have to think about it any longer. “You do Geataer. You have me, I love you.” 

He sighed with relief and he kissed her again. 

***

The new arm had a lot of powerful weapons and tools Nebula supposed as she left the medbay. Geatar hadn’t come with her. They hadn’t wanted to draw Thanos attention to their relationship. Nebula was worried that Thanos would only find a way to use it against her. It was better if he didn’t know. So she had gone for the procedure alone and after an entire day spent in surgery she returned to her room. Geatar was waiting for her there. 

He approached her as the doors whooshed shut behind her. Nebula tried not to let it worry her, the way he was looking her over. If everyone else thought she was a robotic freak she would ignore them or call them idiots. Not him. She would never call Geatar an idiot. He couldn’t read very well and he wasn’t so great at problem solving, but he was good to her, and as such, his opinion mattered. 

“It has weapons?” he asked her. 

She held up the arm and let him look it over. 

“It is good that you will be better able to defend yourself,” he finally said. 

“But you don’t like it?” she asked. 

“Do you like it?” 

“No,” she sobbed the word. “It’s not really mine.” 

“But you are mine. If this arm is part of you, then I will accept it too.” 

She sniffled a little as she stepped into his hug. “Thank you. Those were just the right words to say.” 

“I hope so. I’ve been trying to decide for days what I would say.” 

***

Nebula moved her room on the ship to a room that had a ventilation shaft connecting to Geatar’s room. That way they could maintain their relationship without drawing attention to it. By day Geatar was her First Mate on the missions Thanos sent them on or her bodyguard when they remained on Santuary II. He obeyed her every command without question to the point that even Gamora noticed his loyalty. 

“Are you going to shoot down the target or have your brute do it for you?” Gamora asked her as they practiced side by side in the firing range one day. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Nebula said. She hadn’t missed the target yet. 

“I’m talking about your First Officer over there. He follows you around like a stupid little lost puppy. You could just skip practice altogether and have him do it for you.” 

Nebula bit back the urge to defend Geatar. Gamora couldn’t know the truth. It wouldn’t help if she did. “There’s nothing wrong with loyalty in a First Officer.” 

“There’s loyalty and then there’s blind loyalty, Nebula. He took down eighteen men on Nowhere because you were imprisoned for three days. What are you doing to inspire a jailbreak like that? Sleeping with him?” 

Nebula dropped her gun to her side and spun to face Gamora. “I don’t need to sleep with men to inspire loyalty but thank you for revealing your secrets on how you keep your crew under control. I might consider the idea if I have problems in the future.” 

Nebula spun on her heel and had nearly reached the door to the firing range when she heard Gamora following after her. “I didn’t mean it like that, Nebula. I was only concerned that you were being taken advantage of.” 

“Fuck your concern!” Nebula left the range and Geatar left with her. 

***

Another combat against Gamora and Nebula lay on the floor defeated. Gamora had been dismissed as the victor. Geatar watched the match from the corner of the room and Nebula was aware of his concern as Thanos approached. 

“Nebula, will you never learn?” Thanos said with disappointment. “Has your training taught you nothing?” 

Geatar stepped out of the shadows and moved closer. Thanos saw his movement and held out a hand to stop him. 

“You dare approach me, boy?” Thanos said. 

“What will you do to her, my lord?” Geatar asked. 

“Whatever I wish. Not even your love for my daughter can stop me.” Thanos said. 

Geatar said nothing to that. He took a step closer. “What will you take from her, my lord?

“You think I am incapable of mercy? Remember boy, who it was that killed your father, the man who beat you without mercy because you struggled to learn to read,” Thanos reminded him. “What I do for Nebula, I do to make her better.” 

“Taking her arm and her eye as punishment is not better!” Gaetar dared to say and he moved closer to Thanos.

Thanos reached over and punched Geatar in the face, knocking him to the ground in one blow. Moments later Geatar was on his feet again, fists clenched. 

“You will not approach me again or I will kill you. I am well aware that your love for my daughter makes you irrational and that you would willingly die to prevent her harm. It was my intention that you serve me but you are blinded by love and serve only Nebula. If you try to fight me, you will die. In truth, I should kill you for switching your loyalties. I still have use for you though. To that end, nothing will be taken from Nebula today. She will be given an injection of nanites to make her heal faster. I am making her better and you boy, get to live another day.” 

***

On board Ronan’s ship Nebula found a room with a ventilation passage to Geatar’s room. Only Thanos was aware of their relationship and he had allowed it to continue as means to control them. Which meant that sometimes Thanos sent Geatar away on missions alone and he was gone for months on end. Thanos did the same to Nebula, sending her off alone for weeks or months without her lover. If they behaved, he would allow them to work together for short periods of time. That was how their lives had been for years, stolen moments whenever they could find them. It was all they had. Gamora seemed to be unaware of the relationship and Ronan was certainly unaware so Nebula intended to keep it that way. 

Nebula crawled out through the ventilation panel in the ceiling of Geatar’s room and he reached up and helped her down. He lowered her down to the floor, his hands sliding over her backside as he did so and then pulling her close into an embrace. Nebula sighed at the sensation. It was good to touch him again. She hadn’t seen him in nearly three months and the days without him had been getting longer and longer. 

“Ronan is sending Gamora for the orb,”Nebula said bitterly. 

“Good,” Geatar said, holding her tighter. 

“I could have retrieved it. I could have retrieved it and…” 

“And what?” 

“And beaten Gamora, proven that I am not weak. I could have proven to Thanos that I am just as worthy.” Nebula’s tone was tinged with anger. 

“Of course you are. You don’t need to prove your worthiness to me. Why do you need to prove it to them?” 

“They have taken everything from me!” Nebula said. “Even you. Thanos allows me to see you when it suits him. I’m not free to be with the person I love, I’m never sure if I’m safe from being upgraded, meanwhile Gamora is free to love whoever she wishes and Thanos will never spoil her beauty because she is his favorite.” 

“Forget about them and remember only that you are my favorite,” Geatar told her as he bent and kissed her. 

Nebula fell silent and accepted his kiss and soon the pair of them moved to the bed. She relished the familiarity of making love to him. Other people had told her that they grew bored with having the same lover for very long and soon wanted someone new. Nebula had never truly wanted that. She had of course met other men she was attracted to but she hadn’t ever truly wanted them. Her life was chaos, unstable, anxious, and often fueled by fear and anger. Geatar was the one familiar comfort she had in the midst of all of that. Knowing that each time she returned to him, he would smell the same, taste the same, and feel the same as he always had before, gave her stability and something to make her life worth living. 

***

The battle over Xandar had not gone well. Nebula had vowed to assist Ronan if he could kill Thanos and she’d had every intention of keeping that vow but had somehow found herself fighting her sister yet again. Ronan had not been able to defeat Gamora’s new friends. In the end, Nebula found herself in a Ravager ship, missing a hand, and fleeing the battle. 

The first thing Nebula did was try making a call to Geatar’s communication device. The last she had seen him, he’d still been aboard Dark Aster. Geatar would have escaped the ship before it crashed. There had been plenty of time. Even if he hadn’t, he was very durable and might have even survived a crash. Geatar did not answer her call. She called again and again. The third time he picked up. 

“Geatar? Where are you? I’ll come pick you up.” She told him. 

“Nebula?” he said weakly. 

“You’re injured. How bad is it?” 

“I’ll be fine,” he told her. 

“I have a Ravager ship. Tell me where you are and I’ll come pick you up.” 

“No,” he told her, still weak. “I’m stuck. It will take hours to get me out of this wreckage. If you have a ship, you should go.” 

Her stomach lurched at what she was hearing. “Go? No, I’m not leaving you behind.” 

“Nebula, once they get me out of this, I’ll either be a prisoner on Xandar. If you come back for me, you’ll be one too. Go. You have to.” 

“I’m not leaving for good. I’ll come back for you as soon as I can find a way,” she told him. 

“I know you will.” 

***

A week after the battle Nebula learned that a group of men from the Black order had broken into the Xandarian prison and taken back prisoners that belonged to Thanos. Geatar had been among them. Thanos had put out the word that Geatar would remain a prisoner until Nebula returned to him. 

Nebula talked to a dozen weapons dealers in the days that followed and she learned of one weapon that might be enough. The dealer might even be willing to sell it to her for the right price. It was powered by anulax batteries. 

***

Nebula’s failure to obtain anulax batteries resulted in her making peace with Gamora but it did not diminish her resolve to see Thanos dead. It took her far too long to find another source of anulax batteries and when she finally did obtain them, even those were not enough to kill her father. 

“Did you truly think you could kill me with this puny weapon?” Thanos asked her, breaking the large gun in his hands. 

Nebula was suspended in midair in the torture chamber, stretched out as far as she could be stretched without coming apart. Every part of her wanted to ask where Geatar was but she knew better. Thanos would use him to hurt her further. 

Thanos began going through her memories and stopped when he came to one of her making love Geatar. “You truly loved that boy, didn’t you?” 

“At least I know how to love,” Nebula spat out the words. 

“Yes, so did he. He loved you right up until the end.” 

“You killed him?” Nebula struggled against her invisible restraints. 

“He is imprisoned, elsewhere. You’ll never find him. He will die for his betrayal later but I needed him alive to get to you. I needed his information as well. He was very loyal to you no matter how much torture I put him through. He remained loyal until he passed out entirely from pain.” 

Nebula tried to move again and screamed with frustration when she could not budge. 

“It’s pathetic really. The two of you are entirely blinded by sentiment. But I have chosen to use that sentiment to my own ends.” 

Later, when Nebula killed the Chitauri and escaped the torture chamber, she did a scan of the ship looking for Geatar. He wasn’t aboard. She would simply have to find him later. First she had to stop Thanos. 

***

Thanos had won. Half of life was gone and Nebula found herself alone on a ship with Tony Stark, a stranger from earth. Stark was badly injured too. Worse than he wanted to admit. 

“I take it you know how to fly this thing?” Stark asked as he dragged himself on board and collapsed into the seat next to her. 

“I do. You know the coordinates to earth?” she asked him. 

“Yeah, I kinda skipped out on the whole NASA training. Sorry,” he said, leaning back in his seat, still in pain. 

“I will find them in the ship’s database. Earth was Quill’s homeword. They should be here.” 

Stark watched her with concern as she scanned through the database. “So we’re going to earth? You don’t have a homeworld you need to be at?” 

“My homeworld was called Luphom and I have not seen it in twenty years,” she told him, entering the coordinates she had found into the navigation system. 

“Okay well maybe not your homeworld, but isn’t there someplace you’d rather be than earth? If we need to make a stop somewhere it would be good to know that now.” 

“You are injured,” she glanced over at him. “And the once person I would want to find was missing before all of this even began. I don’t even know where to look.” 

“Fair enough,” Tony agreed as they set off. 

***

For five years, Nebula’s nights on board the Benatar had been lonely. She had been able to confirm a few months after the snap, the location of the prison where Thanos had held Geatar and the fact that the man she loved had been turned to dust along with so many other people. Rocket had been a good companion and ship mate. She liked working with him. The work they were doing was important. But some nights, even after years had passed, she still missed him and she tossed and turned, unable to sleep without him. 

In the end, she could hardly believe that their mission to undo Thanos' destruction had worked. Peter and the rest of the Guardians were back and Thor was joining them. Nebula wanted to continue her work but she also wanted to find Geatar. She waited until the crew was asleep to send a message to the prison ship orbiting Titan. 

“Is Geatar of Pyraxlon aboard?” 

The reply came right away. “This is Geatar. Who sends this message?” 

“Nebula. Are you freed? Are you well?” 

“I am well. Most of us escaped our cells when we woke. Where are you?” he asked. 

She told him briefly that she was aboard a ship and that she would ask the Captain if they could come for him. He said he would wait for her where he was. 

Nebula did not sleep that night. She couldn’t. She fell asleep early the next morning and did not wake up for the crew meeting that Peter had wanted them to have. When she did wake, it was to Peter standing over her bunk. 

“Nebula? You’re late,” he said, annoyed. “Look, I know you like to do your own thing but you can’t just sleep through important crew meetings because you feel like it.” 

“I was awake late last night,” she groaned. 

“That’s not really my problem,” he glanced at his watch. “Be up in the cockpit in five minutes.” 

Nebula arrived four minutes later still feeling exhausted but also feeling hopeful. 

“We have a mission on Xandar. I got word from an old contact of mine that there’s a very large bounty on an arms dealer last seen on Xandar,” Peter told them. 

“We could go to Xandar,” Thor said, “Or we could go to Knowhere, There’s this man called the collector and-” 

“I know who the Collector is,” Peter cut off Thor. “And I thought we agreed that I’m the Captain here.” 

“I only wanted to point out that there is a substantial reward if we return his stolen artifact,” Thor said. “But of course you’re the Captain.” 

“How substantial are we talking?” Rocket asked. 

“It doesn’t matter how substantial,” Peter said, “An arms dealer takes priority because his work hurts people and because I’m the Captain.” 

“But Quill, if we had more money we could bait the arms dealer by offering to buy weapons,” Rocket pointed out. 

“If we take the time to do that, he might be gone by the time we get to Xandar,” Peter argued. “No, we’re going to Xandar first. That’s an order.” 

“When we go to Xandar, can we make a quick stop on Titan? There’s someone-” Nebula began but Peter cut her off. 

“No, we can’t make a quick stop on Titan!” Peter was growing more upset. “If you guys want to be part of this crew you need to be able to listen to your Captain. If you can’t do that, you can get off my ship.” 

Nebula glared at him. “Fine. Let me off at Titan.”

Peter looked hurt. “You’re serious?” 

Nebula almost yelled at him and told him exactly how serious she was. It was the look on Rocket’s face that stopped her. He was her friend and he didn’t want her to go. Instead of shouting at Quill, a tear slipped from her good eye and her jaw trembled a little. “When we restored the stones, there’s someone who was brought back. Someone who means something to me. I haven’t seen him in six years but I learned that he is on a ship orbiting Titan. If you force me to, I will leave and go to him.” 

“Oh. Well our mission on Xandar shouldn’t take long. We could go to Titan as soon as it’s done.” 

Nebula nodded her agreement. “That’s fair.” 

***

Four days later the Guardians found themselves imprisoned inside a huge fortress on Xandar. The mission had not gone as planned. They could still see one another and speak with each other as they were all chained up along the back wall of a large cell. It was an ancient stone cell with a cage of metal bars and minimal light, a dungeon really. The arms dealer had apparently had a team working for him who had helped him resist capture and instead captured the Guardians. The fortress itself had plenty of advanced technology outside of the cell. 

“Hey Groot, do you think you could grow an arm out of the cell and reach that communications relay?” Peter asked Groot. 

“I am Groot.” 

“He’s right, it’s only a local tower. The signal’s not gonna go far,” Rocket said. 

“Well, how far will it go?” Peter wasn’t giving up that easily. 

“Maybe Hala or Titan. It’s definitely not getting to earth though,” Rocket said. “So there’s really no point. The Kree aren’t gonna help us and we would need to know someone on Titan who would be willing to help.” 

“Then we can not escape,” Mantis said sadly. 

“Don’t worry Mantis, we will escape,” Nebula said simply and confidently. “There is a relay station on Titan. If you send a message there it can be rerouted to an old Chitauri ship which is in orbit around Titan.” 

“An old Chitauri ship?” Peter asked, truly skeptical. “You really think anyone on board there can be trusted? I mean, I guess this dude is your friend, but are you sure?” 

“Yes,” Nebula didn’t give an explanation for her belief. 

“Seriously Nebula, Chitauri have tight security and it’s difficult to even get into one of their abandoned ships. They keep them all locked down,” Peter reminded her. “Anyone on board there is either Chitauri or was loyal to Thanos.” 

Nebula only glared at him in response. 

“So that’s it? You’re just gonna give me your angry face instead of an explanation?” Peter asked her. 

“If you relay a message from me to the Chitauri ship, we will escape with the aid of a man called Geatar,” Nebula told them firmly. 

Rocket broke out laughing. “Gee-tar? You really think a guy with a stupid name like Gee-tar can rescue us from this fortress?” Rocket couldn’t stop laughing. 

“It is not amusing,” Nebula scolded him. “And it is me he will be rescuing. Not us.” 

“Yeah, way to look out for yourself, Nebula,” Peter was unimpressed with her attitude thus far. 

“He will include you in the rescue if I ask him to,” Nebula clarified. 

Her clarification didn’t really help and Peter was about to tell her so. 

“I want to be included in the rescue!” Mantis spoke up. 

“Include me as well,” Drax said. “I’m hungry. There’s nothing to eat here.” 

“I am Groot.” 

“Now hang on a second!” Peter stopped them from talking. “Before we bring in some Black Order dude, I want to know a little more about who it is that’s coming for us. Who exactly is this Geatar?” 

“Many years ago Thanos gave me command of a small ship and sent me out to deal with some of his enemies. Geatar was my first officer. I was his Captain. His loyalty has always been to me, not Thanos.” Nebula explained. 

“And you’re okay with risking your first officer’s life like this?” Peter wondered if Nebula was really as cold as she seemed sometimes. 

“He will be fine.” 

“Perhaps Quill, we should send for him,” Thor spoke for the first time. “These are chains for a Titan and even I can not break them. Outside assistance might be necessary. 

“Fine. Groot, send the message,” Peter told him. 

***

All of the Guardians heard the chaos when Geatar began to invade the facility. It was definitely an invasion. There was nothing stealthy about his entrance. There were screams, gunshots, the sounds of stones falling, people running, then he arrived in front of their cell. 

Geatar was a tall muscular man with green skin. He wore a sleeveless black shirt, black pants and tall black boots. He was easily six foot eight inches tall and three hundred lean pounds. He tore the cell door open, crossed the room and wrenched Nebula’s chains out of the place where they were hooked into the stone wall above her head. Nebula got to her feet and he took the shackles on her wrists in his hands and tore them open. Nebula was freed and she threw her arms around him, Geatar lifted her off her feet to hug her in return. 

Peter waited for them to end the hug on their own. It would be cruel to mess their reunion with the whole need to be rescued thing. He wasn’t sure until this moment if Geatar was just a friend of Nebula’s or something more. The way he was holding her with his hands on her backside and they way she pressed close to him told Peter that the pair were definitely lovers. He waited for them to remember they had an audience. He didn’t have to wait long. Nebula slid down to the floor and her man very reluctantly let her go. 

“We need to free them too,” Nebula told him. 

He only nodded. Thor was wrapped so tightly in chains that he could not move. It had been the only way their captors could hold him. Geatar had the leverage that Thor did not have and he pulled one end of the chains free from the wall. Nebula began the work of unraveling him while Geatar freed the others. 

“Which way is out?’ Nebula asked after they were freed and her companion led the way. 

They picked up the unconscious body of their arms dealer on the way out and Drax and Rocket brought him to the authorities. Brief introductions were made. Soon they were back at their ship and Geatar looked at the open bay door and then back at Nebula again. 

“Don’t ask me to watch you leave again,” he said worriedly. 

“No, you’re welcome to stay,” Peter said. “And thank you. I know you came for Nebula and not us but thanks anyway. We’re gonna go get some food. It’s been a long few days,” he and Thor and Mantis went into the ship. 

“Will you stay?” Nebula asked him. 

“I don’t think anyone could make me leave,” he said and he lifted her off her feet to kiss her. 

“My bunk is small. It will be crowded,” she told him between kisses. 

“I don’t care,” he hugged her more firmly. 

“My crewmates can be annoying sometimes,” she added, wrapping her legs around his waist. 

“I don’t fucking care,” he nearly growled as he continued to kiss her. 

“Peter is the Captain, you know?” she pulled away for a moment to meet his gaze. 

He shook his head. “You’re the only Captain that I care about.” 

They didn’t resume kissing. Nebula rested her head on his shoulder and just took a moment to let reality sink in. He was here. He was really here. A few minutes passed before they joined the others in the ship for a meal. Rocket and Drax returned as well everyone was exhausted from their ordeal and once they had cleaned themselves up, went off to their bunks for some much needed rest. 

Nebula crawled into her bunk and Geatar crawled in after her. She pulled down the sliding door for privacy and found that it was more crowded than she had expected. She also found that she didn’t care. Geatar’s huge frame dwarfed hers and though she had never truly felt unsafe on board the Benatar, having him pressed close like this made her feel more secure than she had in years. He waited for her to make the first move in bed like he often had. Nebula slid her hand under his shirt and tipped her head up to kiss him.

“Geatar,” she whispered between the kisses. “Tonight, do what ever you want with me.” 

He pulled away just slightly. “What?” 

“I said, I want you to do whatever you want with me.” 

He didn’t hesitate for long. He soon encased himself inside her and Nebula soon forgot about everything she had ever known. For a little while anyway.


End file.
